What else besides FortiFlora?

FeebysOwner

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Feeby's eating has been waning, regardless of what I feed her. Been through all kinds of pates (that is all she will eat). Tried adding all kinds of broths/bisques and they only go so far. Also, have tried Party Mix treats (with bacon, because she loves bacon), but that only elicits an extra bite or two. She is eating baby food meats as a supplement to her own canned food for the extra calories, but I don't want that to become her main food. She seems hungry, and will sit by her food dish for me to offer her something else that she might want to eat. Adding all of these things are never enough. So, I've gone down the path of trying FortiFlora and, of course, she likes it. But, it would take a whole lot more than one packet to get her through a day. I am not willing to do that.

She has no digestive tract issues, so I am not looking for a probiotic to treat a problem she does not have. She is ~17yo, hyperthyroidic, and is in the early stages of CKD. Her H-T is controlled, via meds, at what 3 vets have said are reasonable levels. She is not dehydrated (yet), so I don't think that is part of the equation at this point, although two of the vets suggested sub-Q fluids, even though she does not fit the criteria based on felinecrf.com. The specialty vet that just saw her says she in remarkable shape overall for a cat of her age, and they don't feel she is at the stage of needing sub-Q fluids. I have also consulted with the forums related to H-T and CKD, and that has not reaped much in terms of ideas related to her particular situation.

I have read about flavor boosters like Raw Paws (beef liver flavor, not cheese - she hates cheese). Is anyone using this, or something similar?

Thanks.
 

Tobermory

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I haven't tried Raw Paws so I can't help with that, but have you tried Dr. Elsey's Cleanprotein Chicken Formula dry? I pulverize it and sprinkle it on top of the girls' food. They love it...even more than Fortiflora.
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sivyaleah

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Nutritional yeast?
We call it "shakies" - our boy that passed a couple of years back loved this stuff. He had a myriad of illnesses (CKD, hyperT, diabetes) and so many of them caused him to not be hungry at times, or nauseous in general.
A container lasts forever and cost something like $6ish, also has a long shelf life. I used to give a good shake on top of his wet food and it really helped getting him to eat.
Best well known brand is Braggs.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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FeebysOwner FeebysOwner , it sounds like she may just need a different food since she is perfectly willing to eat the baby food and HER food if it has Fortiflora on it. I guess perhaps she is become extra picky in her old age? One of my boys is that way, has been his entire life. I have to top every single meal with one thing or another. And he hates Fortiflora :frown: . But the fact that Feeby is sitting next to her bowl wanting food is a great sign. Now you just need to find something she likes. My guy used to be a pate only guy, then one day out of desperation I gave him FF Medley and he scarfed it down. I think it was one with a "delicate' sauce. So from then on out the sky was the limit as far as types of food we try. Currently he is eating Halo "stews" which are pates as far as I'm concerned. I may find one pea or one tiny piece of green bean in them, and I just toss them when I find them. Have you tried those. They come in lamb, chicken, turkey and giblet and possibly more proteins.

As far as using FortiFlora, will she eat if you just do a fine dusting on top of her food? I do that with my other cat if he's hesitant, then I let him sniff the packet and he dives in :lol:
 
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FeebysOwner

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have you tried Dr. Elsey's Cleanprotein Chicken Formula dry? I pulverize it and sprinkle it on top of the girls' food. They love it...
I have pulverized her Party Mix treats that she loves and put them on top, but then all she does is eat the top portion where they are placed. So, I actually mixed them into the food, and after a couple of bites she quit eating that too! I can try crunching up other dry toppers, but it seems that if they are mixed with the food, it gets too dry for Feeby's liking. I have then added some water, but I think by that time I have screwed up the flavor/texture so much that she has no more interest in it!!!

Nutritional yeast? We call it "shakies" Best well known brand is Braggs.
I will definitely look into it!

But the fact that Feeby is sitting next to her bowl wanting food is a great sign. Now you just need to find something she likes. My guy used to be a pate only guy, then one day out of desperation I gave him FF Medley and he scarfed it down.
I am going through a gamut of different foods now! I think I am running out of options - LOL!! I have some non-pates that I bought with the intent to blend them and get them as close to pate texture as I could, but that has pretty much been a failure. So, I gave her one of them without blending it (I did try to chop up the meat chunks into a more minced-like texture), and that was a "No-Go" as it has always been for her. Sure which Feeby would be like your guy who decided non-pates were good! That would open up a whole host of new options.
 

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I second Tobermory Tobermory 's suggestion of pulverizing some Dr. Elsey's chicken formula. We do the same and our cats love it. When Ireland's feeling especially picky (which often means "when I'm feeding something she doesn't especially like"!), I put a layer of Dr. E. on the plate then add the food with another sprinkle of Dr. E. Pretty much everything we serve the cats also has a sprinkle of chicken Pure Bite dust, too. I also sometimes crush raw food (usually Purpose chicken) as a topper. That often works well, too.

Dr. Elsey's will send sample packs. It's very good food with no fillers! Pure Bites are cheapest in dog-labelled bags but PetSmart sells (or at least used to sell) small cat-labelled bags that are cheaper so good for trying. Pure Bites chicken breast treats are freeze-dried raw meat. Our cats also loved the duck liver treats; a little of that dust goes a very long way!

When our previous cat was in her last months she also hovered by her dish, sometimes eating, sometimes not. She had mild kidney disease, mild thyroid disease, and very bad digestive disorders. One of the foods she ate most consistently was Rad Cat. I mention this because I suspect she liked the raw aspect of it. Which means that I'd definitely suggest giving freeze-dried raw [food or treats, anything] a try. Good luck!
 

sivyaleah

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FeebysOwner FeebysOwner Even though the vet said Feeby isn't ready for subQ fluids yet, the eating problem indicates to me it could be beneficial. It isn't just being picky, there has to be a physical reason, most likely feeling stick to her stomach. The extra fluids really would help this - even if it's only once or 2x a week. I'd ask my vet their feelings on it.
 
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FeebysOwner

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Even though the vet said Feeby isn't ready for subQ fluids yet, the eating problem indicates to me it could be beneficial. It isn't just being picky, there has to be a physical reason, most likely feeling stick to her stomach. The extra fluids really would help this - even if it's only once or 2x a week. I'd ask my vet their feelings on it.
Two out of the three vets she saw suggested sub-Q fluids. But, one of those vets also thought it was just fine to give her sub-Q fluids when she thought Feeby had fluid in her chest cavity, with an unknown cause - so, that vet I have to kind of 'discount' her opinion. It was the specialty (internal medicine) vet that said she thought it was premature (they also ruled out any chest cavity fluid, btw). If I use felinecrf.org guidelines, as well as the H-T & CKD forums input, none of them believe sub-Q fluids are warranted at this time either. So, I don't know...

Would a cat that is feeling nauseous eat just because something like FortiFlora is added to their food? Feeby gladly eats most any human meat I give her - I would think that would be a sign that she must not be nauseous?
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Would a cat that is feeling nauseous eat just because something like FortiFlora is added to their food? Feeby gladly eats most any human meat I give her - I would think that would be a sign that she must not be nauseous?
Agreed. If a cat is nauseated, they would not usually even attempt to eat, not even come close to their food. At least that's been my experience.

She may not need sub-q fluids for her CKD, but could she be dehydrated from not eating as much as she used to? Dehydration can cause loss of appetite. Is she drinking more since she isn't eating as much, to make up for the lack of moisture?
 
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FeebysOwner

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She may not need sub-q fluids for her CKD, but could she be dehydrated from not eating as much as she used to? Dehydration can cause loss of appetite. Is she drinking more since she isn't eating as much, to make up for the lack of moisture?
That is kind of a tough one because she has always been an avid water drinker, and I really don't think I've seen a difference. Her peeing frequency hasn't decreased - or increased either. Just because I was unsure, I did the 'tent test' for dehydration and she seems fine - so far. I plan on doing that a few times a week, just to be on the safe side.
 
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Furballsmom

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Hi!
I haven't tried Raw Paws or nutritional yeast although I'm for sure adding those to my list :)!

Have you tried Forza10? I don't know if they send samples, but I was also wondering about Tomlyns Nutri-stat or Nutri-cal gel supplement?

A couple other brands in case you haven't had a chance to try them; Halo sensitive stomach pate varieties, and (pate-ish) Tiki Cat Velvet Mousse Chicken varieties (in case fish is off the menu)? Hang in there with this--I saw a lady in my local Petco the other day, she's in our same boat where she'd brought back a number of cans, and was buying a number of others for her cat. :lovecat2:
 

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My cat Maggie no longer likes pate so I mix it with something else. Sometimes she needs smelly food so I heat up a cup with water,empty it,and add food to warm it up. I've forgotten about bonito flakes! She would gobble up her food if I mix that in. I want to try tiki broths
 
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FeebysOwner

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My cat Maggie no longer likes pate so I mix it with something else. Sometimes she needs smelly food so I heat up a cup with water,empty it,and add food to warm it up. I've forgotten about bonito flakes! She would gobble up her food if I mix that in. I want to try tiki broths.
Nothing in the realm of non-pate will Feeby touch. And, just a couple of days ago, I tired one smelly fish cat food and she wouldn't even touch it! Every once in a while I try a fish flavored food just in case she might have changed her mind since the last time - so far that would be a 'no'. She also rejected bonito flakes! I guess because they are fish!! As far as I know the Tiki Cat broths have either chunks or shreds of meat - little 'Ms. Picky' has to have her broth with no meat in it!! :)
 
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maggie101

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Nothing in the realm of non-pate will Feeby touch. And, just a couple of days ago, I tired one smelly fish cat food and she wouldn't even touch it! Every once in a while I try a fish flavored food just in case she might have changed her mind since the last time - so far that would be a 'no'. She also rejected bonito flakes! I guess because they are fish!! As far as I know the Tiki Cat broths have either chunks or shreds of meat - little 'Ms. Picky' has to have her broth with no meat in it!! :)
I have never tried the tiki broths so I wasn't aware they have meat someone suggested dipping a cue tip in broth then wiping their teeth
 

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All cats around me, including Hima, go crazy for Royal Canin dry foods and Greenies. I haven't tried using Greenies on top of wet food but back when Hima was having dental issues I used grinded Royal Canin sensitive on top of wet food and it worked.

Vitakraft Liquid, Me-O liquid treats - they also love a lot. I remember seeing Vitakraft on the USA Amazon last year or so, I don't know if it's still available. They are both low calorie but cats love them enough that some will eat their food if this treat is on top of it.
 
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FeebysOwner

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All cats around me, including Hima, go crazy for Royal Canin dry foods and Greenies. I haven't tried using Greenies on top of wet food but back when Hima was having dental issues I used grinded Royal Canin sensitive on top of wet food and it worked. Vitakraft Liquid, Me-O liquid treats - they also love a lot. I remember seeing Vitakraft on the USA Amazon last year or so, I don't know if it's still available. They are both low calorie but cats love them enough that some will eat their food if this treat is on top of it.
I actually use Vitakraft lickable treats to mix with Feeby's PM meds - she likes it better than many of the other lickable treats! But, none of them seem to work as 'toppers' or enhancers when mixed with food. Dry food, or treats, crushed up into food also bomb - other than Party Mix treats, and even then, those only work for an extra bite or two. :disappointed: She loves baby food meat, but not so much when it is mixed with her regular food. She has never been keen on 'mixing' different foods together of any kind. She is weird!

Delectable Bisque stands a chance of getting her to eat maybe half of what it is mixed with!
 
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